List of oxymora
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de:Oxymoron (Sprache) fr:Liste d'oxymorons
Oxymora fall into several classes. See Oxymoron for more details.
Please note that just because a phrase describes something non-existent that does not make it an oxymoron. "Partly pregnant" is an impossibility, not an oxymoron.
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Genuine oxymora
Phrases with an inherent contradiction.
- Act naturally
- Almost exactly
- Authentic reproduction
- Bitter sweet
- Center around
- Elevated subway
- Exact estimate
- Extensive briefing
- Found missing
- Forever's end
- Forward lateral
- Genuine imitation (& genuine replica, etc.)
- Good grief
- Guest host (and Permanent guest host, a rare "triple" oxymoron)
- Liquid gas
- Loud silence (& Deafening silence etc.)
- Mandatory options
- Modest magnificence
- Mournful optimist
- One choice
- Only choice
- Open secret
- Plastic glasses
- Scatter-hoarder
- Plastic silverware
- Sophomore (latin for "wise foolish")
- Stop motion
- Sweet sorrow
- Wireless cable
- Working vacation
- Common difference
- Definite maybe
- Detailed summary
- Free servitude
- Live Recording
- Dry Lake
- Little Giant
- Local long-distance
- Loud whisper
- Original copy
- Rural town
- Synthetic natural gas
- Tight slacks
- True lies
- Uninvited guest
- Virtual reality
Perceived oxymora
Which sound like a contradiction, often because of multiple possible meanings of one of the words.
- Active retirement
- Adult children
- Assistant supervisor
- Advanced BASIC
- Agree to disagree
- Alone together
- Anarchy rules!
- Awfully good
- Baby grand (piano)
- Barely dressed
- Burning cold
- Buy now, pay later
- Clearly misunderstood
- Cold sweat
- Constant change
- Drawing a blank
- Fairly dark
- Fine mess
- Freezer burn
- Fresh Frozen
- Full-time hobby
- Growing smaller
- Hopelessly optimistic
- Idiot savant
- Infinite number
- Live recording
- Living dead
- Jumbo shrimp
- Legally forbidden
- New and improved
- New routine
- New tradition
- Non-dairy creamer
- Null value
- Old news
- Passive aggressive
- Peace force
- Poor little rich girl
- Pretty ugly
- Radio show
- Random order
- Same difference
- Seriously funny
- Sinfully good
- Small crowd
- Small fortune
- Standard deviation
- Standard options
- Taped live
- Terribly good
- Thinking out loud
- Totally partial (to something)
- Twelve-ounce pound cake
- Unbelievably real
- Unsalted saltine
- With 100% (e.g. "made with 100% olive oil")
- Young adult
- Wickedly good
Joke oxymora
These are phrases where a comic effect or opinion point is made by pretending that they are oxymora. For example, the joke is that by stating that "military intelligence" is an oxymoron you imply that the military machine is unintelligent. An almost infinite number1 of these can be constructed.
- Airline food
- Alberta environment minister
- Anarcho-capitalism
- Anarcho-communism
- Business ethics
- Californian culture
- Canadian military
- Computer jock
- Corporate ethics
- Diet ice cream
- Educational television
- Extinct life
- Good lawyer
- Government efficiency
- Government initiative
- Government organization
- Government worker
- Harmless sin
- Healthy tan
- Holy war
- Intelligent footballer
- Libertarian socialism
- Microsoft Works
- Military intelligence
- New York culture
- Progressive Conservative
- Pro-life feminism
- Rap music
- Reality television
- Religious tolerance
- Sanitary landfill
- Soft Rock
- Sports Personality
- Virgin mother
- War games
Footnotes
1 "Almost infinite" may possibly be itself an oxymoron, since no number other than infinity may be close to infinity. (Mathematicians do, however, recognize a large, perhaps infinite, number of distinct kinds of infinity, such as Aleph-null.)